C.

The ground-oriented, weather-proof offense has long been preferred by Big Ten teams.

Clemson and Ohio State have slipped to the back of the top 10 in The Associated Press college football poll and Penn State has jumped four spots to No. 6.

Ohio State won 49-28. 11, where Clemson coach Dabo Swinney placed Ohio State on his ballot in the final regular-season coaches' poll. 3 Ohio State buried the second-ranked Tigers 49-28 in the Sugar Bowl semifinal Friday night. Ohio State beat the Crimson Tide in the semifinals on the way to the 2014 national championship. Ohio State did not give details about their absences, but all four had played in the Big Ten championship two weeks ago.

Ohio State running back Master Teague III, left, runs with the ball past Northwestern linebacker Chris Bergin (28) during the first half of the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)Ohio State will be without starting guard Harry Miller, second-leading rusher Master Teague and defensive ends Zach Harrison and Tyler Friday in the Sugar Bowl against Clemson. Ohio State released a list of 16 players who are unavailable for the College Football Playoff semifinal. The Buckeyes had 22 unavailable players that day. ___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Fields led Ohio State to a 6-0 record and the No. 7 Indiana (6-1) to its highest ranking since 1967, knocking off three ranked teams along the way. Its only loss was 42-35 at Ohio State in a game that went down to the final play. u-QB — Justin Fields, Ohio State, 6-3, 228, Jr., Kennesaw, Georgia. C — Josh Myers, Ohio State, 6-5, 312, Jr., Miamisburg, Ohio.

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields throws a pass against Rutgers during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio. Fields threw two touchdown passes to Chris Olave, with Jameson Williams, Garrett Wilson and Jeremy Ruckert also recipients of scoring passes. Wilson caught six passes for 104 yards for Ohio State, and Fields completed passes to nine receivers. They battled Ohio State but couldn't climb out of the hole they dug early. Ohio State: The Buckeyes were sloppy and got stuck in the mud at times, but Fields can make things happen.

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields (1) looks for a receiver during the first quarter against Penn State in an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa., Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. The Ohio State quarterback is just fine shredding defenses in front of a more intimate gathering. Ohio State (2-0) didn’t take long to break the game open and hand Penn State (0-2) its first 0-2 start since 2013. Penn State got on the board when Jake Pinegar capped an 11-play, 61-yard drive with a 31-yard field goal. The Nittany Lions got a break when Ohio State turned the ball over on downs with a second left before halftime.

Then came Fields' nifty touchdown run and a 55-yard scoop and score by Buckeyes cornerback Sevyn Banks, and Ohio State had it under control. THE TAKEAWAYNebraska: Effective against the Ohio State defense to start the game, the Huskers couldn't keep up in the second half. Ohio State: Once they knocked the rust off early, Fields made good decisions and Buckeyes receivers were terrific. It is believed to be the smallest crowd to watch an Ohio State game since sometime before 1910. Ohio State: Faces No.